World Shootout Marks 20 Years with Image of the Two Decades
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World Shootout has announced a new flagship category to mark its 20th anniversary: "Image of the Two Decades."
Supported by HEAD Watersports Group as official sponsor, the competition will recognize the most impactful underwater images from the past 20 years.
One photographer will receive a €5,000 cash prize and the title of "Industry Icon," while five finalists will each receive the Andromeda Statue and a Mares QUAD Ci dive computer at the gala in boot Düsseldorf on January 30, 2027.
At SSI, we believe underwater imagery connects divers, ocean lovers, and storytellers across borders. Whether it is a reef shark in open water, a pygmy seahorse in macro detail, or a wreck captured at scale, photography translates the experience of diving into something others can feel.
This is more than a competition. It reflects the moments that have inspired the dive world over the past two decades. Read on to find out more.
Table of Contents:
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What Makes "Image of the Two Decades" Different
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Key Dates: How the Competition Unfolds
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Meet the Judges Behind the Selection
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Why Diving Skills Matter for Photography
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How Underwater Images Support Ocean Conservation
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How to Improve Your Own Underwater Photography
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What Happens Next
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Underwater photography begins with time in the water—developing patience, awareness, and the ability to observe.
This category is designed as a tribute to 20 years of underwater photography—celebrating not just technical excellence, but the images that have had lasting impact.
Over that time, equipment has become more accessible, lighting more advanced, and sharing easier than ever. But the core of underwater storytelling has not changed: time in the water, awareness of the environment, and patience.
A single photograph can inspire someone to care about coral reefs, marine mammals, sharks, or fragile ecosystems in a way that words alone sometimes cannot.
In Israel, the initiative is supported by Dugit, representing the HEAD Group brands including Mares, SSI, Aqualung, and Apeks, alongside major underwater imaging brands, including Ikelite, Nauticam, Sea&Sea, and Marilux. It highlights how closely diving and photography are connected.
The process builds in stages, combining expert judging with community input:
- April 1 – Top 100 semi-finalists selected by an international jury, including National Geographic photographer David Doubilet.
- May 1 – Top 20 most influential images announced.
- June 1 – Public voting opens to select the five most iconic images.
- January 30, 2027 – Final winners revealed at boot Düsseldorf.
The public vote is a defining stage. The images that resonate most are not always the most technically perfect—they are the ones that stay with us and remind us why we dive.
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From macro life to impressive wrecks, underwater photography captures the full scale of what lies beneath the surface.
This year's jury includes Shlomo Cohen, Renee Capozzola, David Doubilet, Imran Ahmad, Alberto M. Pelliconi, Ariel Fuchs, and Alex Kassler. Together, they bring a wide range of creative and geographic perspectives. Their involvement ensures both credibility and a truly global viewpoint.
With internationally respected names from across the underwater imaging community, the judging process carries both credibility and prestige.
For aspiring image-makers, this is also a chance to study what great underwater photography looks like. Reviewing finalist galleries, award selections, and iconic entries can teach us a lot about composition, patience, subject choice, use of light, and storytelling.
If you are just beginning your own underwater photography journey, SSI has shared several useful resources on the topic, including:
Those articles highlight an important truth: strong underwater images begin with strong diving skills.
Strong underwater images start with strong diving skills.
As SSI Platinum Pro Diver and award-winning photographer Alex Mustard explains, becoming a better photographer begins with becoming a better diver. Diving buoyancy control and environmental awareness directly affect your ability to capture strong images without disturbing marine life.
Read more in SSI's Q&A with Alex Mustard.
This is one reason events like "The Image of the Two Decades" resonate so deeply with divers. The best images do not just showcase talent behind the lens. They reflect experience in the water.
They come from divers who know how to position themselves calmly, anticipate behavior, work with light, and respect the environment around them.
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Behind every strong image is a process—planning, adjustment, and decisions made before and during the dive.
Underwater photography plays a key role in ocean awareness. Images can reveal both the beauty and vulnerability of marine ecosystems. They help people connect with environments they may never experience firsthand.
This is central to SSI's approach—encouraging divers not only to explore the ocean, but to protect it. Initiatives like SSI Blue Oceans reflect that mission.
When photography is done with care, it can influence how divers travel, interact with marine life, and think about conservation. In that way, iconic images do more than impress us. They move the entire dive community forward.
For divers looking to develop their skills, the SSI Photo & Video Specialty offers a structured way to improve.
The course focuses on:
- Camera handling and composition
- Buoyancy and stability
- Diving techniques for photography
The course is designed to help you build the practical skills needed to create stronger images and video underwater. You will gain the fundamentals that support both better storytelling and better environmental awareness underwater.
Whether you want to document trips, capture marine life, or simply create more meaningful images, confidence in the water is what allows creativity to develop.
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Structured training builds strong underwater photography skills.
As the Top 100, Top 20, and public vote unfold, World Shootout's "Image of the Two Decades" will highlight the images that have defined a generation of scuba diving.
It honors not just individual photographers, but the evolution of an entire community of divers, explorers, and visual storytellers.
The final awards ceremony at boot Düsseldorf on January 30, 2027, will mark the culmination of that journey, when the five selected photographers step onto the stage to receive the Andromeda Statue and Mares QUAD Ci.
The grand winner will be revealed by Dusan Runjajic, Sales & Marketing Director at HEAD Watersports.
Stay tuned on the World Shootout website and Underwater Photo Competitions on Facebook as the galleries go live, and get ready to rediscover the images that have helped define two decades of underwater imagination.